Wells envisions a world in which China and Japan form an alliance of Eastern Asia; Germany is aggressive and thrusting; and the United States is a country torn apart "in violent conflict between Federal and State governments upon the question of universal service in a defensive militia." The British Empire is a more pacific power, whose possessions are scattered across the globe, and distracted by "insurrectionary movements in Ireland and among all its Subject Races. It had given these subject races cigarettes, boots, ...
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Wells envisions a world in which China and Japan form an alliance of Eastern Asia; Germany is aggressive and thrusting; and the United States is a country torn apart "in violent conflict between Federal and State governments upon the question of universal service in a defensive militia." The British Empire is a more pacific power, whose possessions are scattered across the globe, and distracted by "insurrectionary movements in Ireland and among all its Subject Races. It had given these subject races cigarettes, boots, bowler hats, cricket, race meetings, cheap revolvers, petroleum, the factory system of industry, half penny newspapers in both English and the vernacular, inexpensive university degrees, motor-bicycles and electric trams..." France and the Latin Powers (Italy, Spain, Portugal) are militarized, but reluctant to fight; Russia is divided within itself, torn apart by conflict between revolutionaries and reactionaries. Other smaller states have armed themselves as best they can.
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Add this copy of The War in the Air to cart. $9.77, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2015 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The War in the Air to cart. $32.85, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Bert blunders into the first wave of attack in the first war in the air and goes through an exiting and imaginative series of adventures. But it is much more than inviting entertainment. The most impressive is Wells' insight into the future. The story was published in 1908 but what it tells comes very close to our present world... You can force a country on its knees with a large airforce, but what to do after that? We know that all too well, reading about the wars in Iraq and Afganistan in our newpapers every day: trouble starts. And we have to deal with that somehow. Wells already knew before the first world war, before the first bomb ever came tumbling out from the sky.
